


we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet

by thotsandfeelings



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:48:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thotsandfeelings/pseuds/thotsandfeelings
Summary: New Year’s Eve, 2007
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 14
Kudos: 91





	we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet

Josh opens his hotel room door and throws the stack of papers in his hand on the table by the door along with his room key. He exhales loudly before falling onto the bed on his back.

He was supposed to be home two days ago, but the mayor of wherever the hell he is was holding them hostage. He had begged President Santos to leave the issue for the state government, but it was no dice. That’s how Josh finds himself frustrated and very much alone on New Year’s Eve.

He lifts his head and sees the clock on the wall blinking 11:36pm. He lets his head fall back before letting out another frustrated sigh. He’s supposed to be at home right now. With his (preferably naked) girlfriend, drinking champagne, and ringing in 2008 the proper way. 

His phone pierces the silence and he fumbles as he pulls it out of his trousers, smiling at Donna’s contact picture flashing across his screen.

“Hey,” he answers.

“Hey, yourself.”

“I’m so sorry, Donna. I begged him to let me go home yesterday, I swear, but-“

“Josh,” she interrupts, “it’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t. We should be together right now. I should be kissing you in,” he looks at the clock, “19 minutes.” He sighs again and throws his hand over his face. “I’m really sorry, honey, I tried. I really, really tried. My mother would’ve been proud with the guilt trip I gave him.”

Donna chuckles at him and he squeezes the phone tight to his ear. He hasn’t seen her for 4 days. There was a freak episode of mother nature in Texas after Christmas and he’s been down here ever since talking with mayors and locals trying to help them as best they can. Josh had begged and pleaded with the president to let him catch a commercial flight back to DC to help coordinate FEMA and the Red Cross from the White House, but by the time he’d got the okay, the earliest flight still wasn’t touching down in Washington until 1am.

“I believe you, Josh,” she says. “I wasn’t calling to admonish you. I just miss you.”

“I miss you, too.”

“Where are you right now?”

“I’m in the hotel. I was gonna order some room service and call you, but you beat me to it.”

“I’m always one step ahead of you, Lyman.”

“Don’t I know it,” he grumbles. Josh has never been able to get away with anything since Donna came into his life 10 years ago. He wouldn’t have it any other way, though. “What are you doing? I thought Sam was having a little party at their new house. Are you there?”

“No, I wasn’t really in the party mood.”

“Yeah,” he exhales. 

They stay on the phone in silence for a few minutes and Josh closes his eyes, pretending they’re at their apartment on the couch watching Rockin’ Eve on TV. He can almost feel her when a sudden ding sounds on her end of the phone. 

“What was that?”

“Just the microwave,” she says. “I was making some popcorn.”

Josh just nods his head even though she can’t see him. He’s about to say something when there’s a knock on his door and he groans loudly. 

“Hold on,” he says. “I’m gonna kick Otto’s ass real quick.”

He opens the door and his phone actually drops out of his hand.

“Hi,” Donna smiles back at him while flipping her cell shut. 

“What—“

“I booked a flight yesterday when I figured you weren’t going to make it back in time. Did you think I’d let you spend New Year’s all alone?”

Josh doesn’t say anything, just hauls her to him and buries his face in her neck. She giggles a little and wraps her arms around him tightly, kissing his shoulder. Josh doesn’t break the hug as he stumbles backward and the door shuts behind them.

“You’re amazing,” he murmurs and he pulls back to look at her. “You’re amazing and I don’t deserve you.”

She smirks and loosens his tie for him before sliding it off completely. She unbuttons his shirt slowly, her grin only growing when he licks his lips, and she pushes the shirt off him, too. 

“Do you have champagne?” she asks, her voice soft as she looks up at him through her lashes, and he nods dumbly. 

“Yeah, uh—“ he moves away from her and goes to the mini fridge underneath the television, “it’s not super fancy or anything, but...” he trails off and she grabs the bottle from him. She goes into the bathroom to get the plastic cups that come with the room, and sits on the bed, Josh watching her every move. “Let me,” he says when she starts to unwind the metal over the cork. 

He pops the top and Donna smiles up at him as he hands her a cup, and he sits down next to her on the bed. 

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he murmurs and he squeezes her thigh. 

“It’s our last New Years as boyfriend and girlfriend. I didn’t want to spend it apart.”

He grins at her affectionately and clinks their plastic cups together. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” she echoes and they take a sip. Donna checks her watch. “5 minutes.”

Josh hums and takes the cup out of her hand, setting both of them on the nightstand before pulling her legs over his own so she’s more or less in his lap. 

“Any resolutions this year?” he asks, moving her hair behind her ear. 

“Well, I plan on marrying you.”

“Yeah, that’s a good one.”

She grins and settles more in his arms. “I want to read more. I talked to Helen about starting a national book club, so hopefully we can get that going soon.”

Josh nods. “Also very practical.”

“What about you?” she asks and she throws her arm around his shoulder. 

“I wanna pass our healthcare bill and get stronger legislation on insurance premiums.” Donna hums and combs through the hair at the nape of his neck. “I wanna sleep more and spend more time with you,” he murmurs, nuzzling his forehead against hers. “And marry you in front of all our friends and family.” 

She tightens her hold around him and moves her other hand to cup his cheek. “Those are all very doable,” she concurs. 

“Also sex,” he deadpans. “I feel like we should make it a running resolution to have more sex than the year before.”

Donna only laughs as Josh grabs her wrist to check the time again and they watch the big hand tick slowly to 12am. 

Donna kisses him softly as they hear shouts of ‘happy new year!’ through the walls of the surrounding rooms, and he brings his hand to the back of her neck to keep her close. 

“Happy New Year,” he mumbles against her lips. “Thanks for coming.”

“You’ll never have another year that doesn’t start with a kiss from me.”

He grins, his dimples deep in his cheeks and he kisses her again. “Thank God for that.”

She melts into him as his fingers slip under the hoodie she’s wearing, rubbing her skin softly. He kisses the top of her head as she snuggles into his embrace and they sit there for a while, listening to the celebrations surrounding them with the sound of fireworks somewhere in the distance. 

The past year was one of the hardest while simultaneously being the best year of his life. Their approval rating is holding steady at 71%, they just passed a big education overhaul before the holidays, and he got to wake up next to Donna every morning. It’s wild what a healthy relationship does for the body. 

He’s taken up working out again, his stress level is nowhere near what it could be, and he actively chooses going home over pulling long hours at the office. 

It can’t always be helped, though. There have been nights stuck in the Sit Room and there was a slight argument over an amendment the First Lady helped get into committee being removed from the education bill, but he’s found it much easier to go head to head with this First Lady’s Chief of Staff. They were able to compromise with Josh promising to tack it onto the healthcare push they’re starting this month and hopefully get it passed. If it doesn’t, he knows he’s in trouble because she’s absorbed his work ethic and general sense of annoying persistence and she won’t let him give it up.

Josh looks down at Donna and a swell of pride washes over him. Watching her grow into her job this past year has by far been his favorite thing. She’s bossy and organized and has completely transformed the First Lady into a party player, which is why it was impossible for him _not_ to propose. 

He sees the engagement ring glinting in the soft hotel light and his heart warms when he thinks about spending forever with her. He wants to buy a house with a yard for a dog even though he knows she’ll sneak a cat into his life instead. He wants to talk to her about starting a family and everything that entails.

“Donna,” he murmurs quietly, still running his fingers softly across her skin. 

She looks up at him. “Yeah.”

“Nothing, just…” he kisses her forehead. “I know the past year was hard, but…” He trails off again, suddenly shy. 

“But what?” she asks, offering him a smile. 

“I’m just glad I got to do it with you.”

Her smile grows and Josh groans at the look on her face. “You are just the sweetest thing, aren’t you?” she teases, pinching his cheek. 

“Don't make me regret saying it.”

She laughs and kisses him quickly. “You know I love when you get sappy on me.” 

He hums and kisses her again, slower this time. “Just wait til my vows.”

“You better not have Sam ghost write them for you,” she warns. “He gets the Best Man speech, you get to tell everyone you’ve had a major crush on me since 1998.”

“They’re all me,” he promises and he nudges her legs off his lap so he can stand up and strip off his trousers. A big yawn wracks through him as he crawls back into the bed and he pulls Donna down once she’s stolen a pair of boxers from his suitcase. “God, I’m tired.”

“You’ve been working hard,” she soothes and he sighs when she massages his temples. “How is it anyway? I wasn’t able to get much from Lou before I left.”

“It’s pretty bad. The tornado wiped out the school, library, City Hall… everything really. We moved a bunch of families into a church that’s still standing, but it’s been really hard. The President feels like he needs to be here since it’s so close to his hometown, but I gotta get him back to DC. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

“Helen was working on him, too. He’s very stubborn.”

“No shit,” Josh says, huffing out a laugh. “Did she come with you?”

“No, she stayed with the kids.”

Josh nods and brings his hand up into her hair, his telltale sign that he’s about a minute away from falling asleep. “We’ll get him on the plane tomorrow.”

“Speaking of Air Force One, do you have a free seat? I only booked a one-way.”

Josh grins. “Yeah, I think we can squeeze you in a closet or something.”

She pinches his arm. “Funny boy.”

“All part of my charm, baby.”

They lay there in silence, their breathing syncing up as he massages the base of her skull lightly with his fingers. Sleep is pulling him under, but he swims back up when she says his name. 

“We’re gonna have a really great year.”

“S’already off to a good start,” he whispers back, leaning down with his eyes still closed until he finds her lips one more time. “Love you.”

He barely registers her saying she loves him too before he’s fast asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this back in October or September and forgot about it, so it’s basically unedited because I’m lazy and drinking champagne. 
> 
> Begone 2020!


End file.
